Bovell Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name History

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Blazons & Genealogy Notes

Ar. a lion ramp. within a bordure engr. sa.

Origin, Meaning, Family History and Bovell Coat of Arms and Family Crest

Bovell Origin:

England

Origins of Bovell:

The prestigious surname Bovell came to Britain with the Norman invasion of 1066. It was considered that the surname started in Beauzeville, France and that Elias de Boesevilla of this region was the first Norman settler to Britain. Many of these Norman families moved north, into Scotland in the period following the Norman Conquest of England. Spelling variations of this family name include as Boswell, Boswall, Boseville, Boswald, Bosswald, Bosville, Boeseille, Bosvile, Bovill, Bowelle and much more.

Variations:

England:

The surname Bovell first appeared in Yorkshire, where Sir Ralph Boswell of Guntwaite, a descendant of Elias de Boesevilla, the first settler from Normandy, held lands. In the 12th century, Sir Ralph lost his Yorkshire lands to the Earls of Warenne. The family moved north to Scotland at the invitation of David, Earl of Huntingdon, where they settled in Berwickshire at Edenham.

Ireland:

Many of the people with surname Bovell had moved to Ireland during the 17th century.

United States of America:

Individuals with the surname Bovell landed in the United States in two different centuries respectively in the 19th, and 20th. Some of the people with the name Bovell who arrived in the United States in the 19th century included Robert G. Bovell at the age of 40, who landed in America, in the year 1894.

The following century saw more Bovell surnames arrive. Some of the people with the surname Bovell who arrived in the United States in the 20th century included Susan Bovell, aged 49, who settled in America from Barbados, in the year 1904. Wesley Bovell at the age of 17, who landed in America from St. Andrew, Barbadoes, in the year 1913. Mary Bovell at the age of 44, who moved to America from Port of Spain, Trinidad, in the year 1915. Ralfli Bovell at the age of 13, who moved to the United States from St. Philip, Barbados, in the year 1916. William A. Bovell at the age of 41, who settled in America from Bridgetown, Barbados, in the year 1916.

Here is the population distribution of the last name Bovell: United States 721; Guyana 435; Barbados 426; England 398; Australia 267l Trinidad and Tobago 169; Panama 131; Canada 114; Jamaica 107; South Africa 91.

Notable People:

Andrew Bovell (born November 1962) is an Australian author for theater, film, and television. He was born in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia and completed his secondary school education in Perth. He graduated from the University of Western Australia with a BA and followed that with a Diploma in Dramatic Arts at the Victorian College of Arts, in Melbourne.

Brian Bovell (born October 1959) is an English actor. He was born in London. He has appeared regularly on television since 1980, as well as featuring in the cult film Babylon released the same year. He has also appeared in the play Where There Is Darkness in 1981, winning the 1982 London Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actor of 1981 for his performance. He player with Gary Olsen in the 1986 TV series Prospects about two men in the Docklands trying their hand at anything to make a “few bob.”

Dennis Bovell was born in 1953. He is a British guitarist and generator.

George Bovell (born in 1983), is a swimmer from Trinidad and Tobago, older brother of Nicholas Bovell.

Dennis Bovell (born May 1953) is a reggae guitarist, bass player, and record producer. He was a member of the British reggae band Matumbi and released dub-reggae records under his name as well as the pseudonym Blackbeard.

Nicholas Bovell (born 1986), is a swimmer from Trinidad and Tobago, younger brother of George Bovell.

Ryan Bovell was born in January 1974. He is a cricket player who plays for and captains the Cayman Islands national cricket team. He led the country to the 2007 ICC World Cricket League Division Three tournament in Darwin, Australia where the Cayman Islands defeated at the semi-final stage, and to the 2005 ICC Intercontinental Cup which had first-class status.

Bovell Coat of Arms Meaning

The two main devices (symbols) in the Bovell blazon are the lion and bordure engrailed. The two main tinctures (colors) are sable and argent.

Sable, the deep black so often found in Heraldry is believed to named from an animal of the marten family know in the middle ages as a Sabellinœ and noted for its very black fur 1A Glossary of Terms used in British Heraldry, J.H. Parker, Oxford, 1894, Entry:Sable. In engravings, when colors cannot be shown it is represented as closely spaced horizontal and vertical lines, and appropriately is thus the darkest form of hatching, as this method is known 2Boutell’s Heraldry, J.P. Brooke-Little, Warne, (revised Edition) London 1970, P 26. Although it may seem a sombre tone, and does indeed sometimes denote grief, it is more commonly said to represent Constancy 3The Symbolisms of Heraldry, W. Cecil Wade, George Redway, London, 1898 P35.

Argent is the heraldic metal Silver and is usually shown as very pure white. It is also known more poetically as pearl, moon (or luna) 4Understanding Signs & Symbols – Heraldry, S. Oliver & G. Croton, Quantum, London, 2013, P53. In a sketch or drawing it is represented by plain, unmarked paper 5A Glossary of Terms used in British Heraldry, J.H. Parker, Oxford, 1847, P11.

The art of heraldry would be significantly poorer if we were without the lion in all its forms. Most general works on Heraldry devote at least one chapter solely to this magnificent creature and its multifarious depictions 6A Complete Guide to Heraldry, A.C. Fox-Davies, Bonanza (re-print of 1909 Edition), New York, 1978, P1727Boutell’s Heraldry, J.P. Brooke-Little, Warne, (revised Edition) London 1970, P 638Understanding Signs & Symbols – Heraldry, S. Oliver & G. Croton, Quantum, London, 2013, P140. Some of the earliest known examples of heraldry, dating right back to the knighting of Geoffrey of Anjou in 1127, where he is shown with six such beasts upon his shield 9A Treatise on Heraldry, J. Woodward, W & A.K Johnston, Edinburgh & London, 1896, P45 .The great authority on heraldic symbology, Wade, points out the high place that the lion holds in heraldry, “as the emblem of deathless courage”10The Symbolisms of Heraldry, W. Cecil Wade, George Redway, London, 1898 P60, a sentiment echoed equally today.

The border, (sometimes bordure) is a band running around the edge of the shield, following the edge contours and being differently coloured, possibly holding a series of small charges placed on top of it 11A Glossary of Terms used in British Heraldry, J.H. Parker, Oxford, 1894, Entry:Bordure. To distinguish it from similar arms, heraldic artists developed a series of decorative edges (obviously these are applied only to the inner edge). A common form of this patterning, engrailed is a series of scalloped indentations with the points facing outwards – and should not be confused with invected, which has the points facing inwards! Wade believes that both of these indented forms represent “earth or land”, and one perhaps can indeed see the furrowed earth embodied in them.